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Multiple Sclerosis

Divorcees are less likely to be involved in the day-to-day care of an ageing parent than those who have not experienced marital breakdown, according to a new study.
Dr Adam Davey from Temple University found that the later the divorce occurred, the more likely it was to have a detrimental effect on the parent-child relationship.
The greater proportion of time spent with a divorced mother, the...

New US research has revealed that a by-product of the breakdown of cholesterol can interfere with the mechanism by which oestrogen helps to ward off heart disease.
Senior author David Mangelsdorf believes that the results could help explain why hormone replacement therapy fails to protect some women from heart disease.
"This model may help explain why women are better protected than men from...

Scientists have made a breakthrough finding which may help them to develop more effective treatments for hormone-responsive breast cancers.
Researchers from the University of Iowa and the University of Pennsylvania have identified a gene called TFAP2C that plays a crucial role in oestrogen signalling.
They found that silencing expression of TFAP2C in hormone-responsive breast cancer cells...

Honey could be used to ward off memory decline, a new study has shown.
According to the New Scientist magazine, rats fed on honey were less anxious and had better memories than another group of rodents with a sucrose diet.
Lynne Chepulis and Nicola Starkey of the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand found that the honey-fed rats spent almost twice as much time in the open areas of an...

A report by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) has set new standards for the diagnosis, management and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Updates include new staging guidelines for deciding the severity of COPD and recommendations for coordinating healthcare teams.
Lead author Dr Klaus Rabe said the report was "an absolutely up-to-date...

Scientists have identified a type of cancer stem cell (CSC) that causes metastasis of a fatal human pancreatic cancer.
CSCs are thought to be a small population of tumour cells that, like normal stem cells, are self-replicating and generate differentiated cells.
The cancer in question, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, is the fourth leading cause of cancer death and is relatively incurable due to its...

Loneliness expresses itself in our genes, according to new research.
US researchers have discovered that social isolation is linked to alterations in the activity of genes involved in the immune system.
Previous studies had shown that loneliness is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, viral infections and cancer, but now scientists are beginning to unpick the phenomenon at the molecular...

Patients with metabolic syndrome have a greater risk of developing kidney stones, according to scientists at the University of Texas (UT).
The link is due to the fact that people with the syndrome, which puts them at risk of for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, often excrete highly acidic urine.
Previous research had found that people who were overweight or suffered from diabetes had highly...

US research has revealed that protein-generating material found in all cells may have a key role in cancer.
A study published in the September issue of the journal Cancer Cell has found that a type of ribonucleic acid (RNA) can contribute to cancer development.
The researchers believe that ultraconserved noncoding RNAs (UCRs) could serve as genetic markers for cancer susceptibility and are...

A compound found in tangerine peel could be used to zap cancer cells, according to a UK study.
Salvestrol Q40 is produced by plants to repel insects and fungi.
A team from the Leicester School of Pharmacy found the chemical was 20 times more toxic to cancer cells than their healthy counterparts.
Salvestrol was found in other fruit and vegetables, including broccoli and brussels sprouts.
However,...